JPH1167330A - Waterproof type connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waterproof type connector that can eliminate the aligning work of wires and can prevent even the development of a gap in a fitting part caused by tensile force against the wires after the assemblage. SOLUTION: Terminal receiving part 25, formed consecutively in a housing 23 and a packing receiving part 27 are opened on one surface of the housing 23. A closing lid 37 for closing the opening 29 is mounted on the housing 23. Wire-catching protrusions 51, 51 facing one another between which slits 49' are interposed are formed on an open wall 45 on the packing receiving part side. A packing that has wire fitting slots is placed in the packing receiving part 27 for making close contact with the inside walls of the packing receiving part 27, to seal between the housing 23 and the lid 37 by fitting on the inside wall of the lid 37, when the lid 37 is closed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof connector, and more particularly, to a connector suitable for use in connecting a vehicle electric wire (wire harness) to an electric circuit of an electronic / electric component.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a vehicle such as an automobile,
It is necessary to use waterproof connectors in places where weather resistance is required to prevent corrosion and poor contact due to rust on terminals. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-2039 discloses an example of a conventional waterproof connector of this type in which the outer periphery of a wire is tightly surrounded by a waterproof member.
No. 09 is described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG.
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional waterproof connector, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a waterproof function of a waterproof member of the waterproof connector of FIG. 7 in comparison with a waterproof member having an upper and lower half structure. The waterproof connector 1 includes a first connector portion 3, a second connector portion 5, and a contact (not shown) having at least one wire (not shown) connected to an end. The first connector part 3 has an elastomeric first waterproof member 11 which is continuous with at least one contact receiving cavity 7 and in which an upward U-shaped groove 9 is formed. The second connector part 5 is downward U
Elastomer second waterproof member 15 in which a groove 13 is formed
Having. The first connector portion 3 and the second connector portion 5 are mutually pressed and slid and engaged with the latch engaging members 17, 1.
9

[0003] To assemble the first connector portion 3 and the second connector portion 5, the latch engagement member 1 of the second connector portion 5 is required.
9 is aligned with the latch engagement member 17 of the first connector portion 3, the second connector portion 5 is moved forward along the horizontal portion, and the latch engagement members 17 and 19 are engaged. Then, as shown in FIG. 8 (A), the outer periphery of the wire is completely surrounded by the upward and downward U-shaped grooves 9, 13 at the joining surface of the second waterproof member 15 shown by the solid line and the first waterproof member 11 shown by the dotted line. You. When using a pair of upper and lower waterproof plugs shown in FIG. 8B for comparison, a gap G is formed between the joint surface and the outer periphery of the wire, and the gap G is formed along the wire through the gap G. Although water enters the connector, according to the waterproof connector 1,
Such a gap G does not occur, and the first and second waterproof members 11 and 15 are in close contact with the outer periphery of the wire and completely surround the wire, so that it is possible to reliably prevent water from entering.

[0004]

By the way, the wire is often pulled due to the work, and even if it is inserted into the contact receiving cavity 7, as shown in FIG. ing. Therefore, in such a case, after aligning the wire W in the U-shaped groove 9, the first connector portion 3 and the second connector portion 5 must be engaged, and the assembling workability is poor. In addition, there was a problem that the number of steps also increased. If the wire W and the U-shaped groove 9 are misaligned, or if the wire W and the U-shaped groove 9 are slightly displaced, when the first connector portion 3 and the second connector portion 5 are engaged, a U-shaped The grooves 9 and 13 do not come into close contact with each other, and there is a problem that water enters. Even when the U-shaped grooves 9 and 13 are in close contact with the wire W during assembly, only the first waterproof member 11 and the second connector portion 5 made of an elastomer are brought into close contact with the outer periphery of the wire W and Since the W is sealed with a waterproof seal, if the wire W is pulled after the assembly, a gap is formed in a close portion, and there is also a problem that water enters. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a waterproof connector which can eliminate the need for wire alignment work, and which does not produce a gap in a close portion even by a pulling force on an assembled wire. It is intended to improve the assembling workability and waterproof reliability.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a waterproof connector according to the present invention, wherein a terminal accommodating portion and a packing accommodating portion provided in a housing are opened on one surface of the housing. A lid for closing the opening is provided in the housing, an electric wire pressing projection is provided on the opening wall on the packing housing side with a slit interposed therebetween, and has an electric wire close-contact groove, and is closely closed to the inner wall of the packing housing. And a packing that closely contacts an inner surface of the lid and seals between the housing and the lid. Alternatively, in the waterproof connector according to the present invention, the end face of the opening wall of the opening is formed lower than the side face of the housing facing the opening, and the packing disposed on the end face of the opening wall is restricted to a predetermined position. It may be characterized by having done. Or,
The waterproof connector according to the present invention, wherein the packing is an electric wire seal portion mounted on the packing accommodating portion, and the lid is integrally connected to the electric wire seal portion, and is closed with an opening wall end surface of the opening. And a frame-shaped seal portion that seals the space therebetween.

[0006] In this waterproof connector, the packing is mounted on the packing accommodating portion of the housing, the terminal is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion from the opening, and the electric wire is pushed between the electric wire holding projections, so that the electric wire is left and right. Movement is restricted by being pinched vertically. At the same time, the inner periphery of the wire tight groove is closely attached to the outer periphery of the wire, and the space between the wire and the packing is sealed. In this state, by closing the lid, there is no gap between the lid and the housing and between the electric wire and the housing, so that intrusion of water or the like is prevented. After assembling, the wire is sandwiched between the wire holding protrusions, so that the tension acting on the wires is carried by the wire holding protrusions, and no force is applied to the close contact portion between the packing and the wires. Further, since the end face of the opening wall portion of the opening where the packing is arranged is formed lower than the side surface of the housing facing the opening, the position of the packing can be regulated to a predetermined position, so that the mounting workability is improved and the mounting is performed. The packing can be prevented from falling off. In addition, since the packing has the wire seal portion and the frame-shaped seal portion integrated with each other, the handleability and mounting workability are improved, and the terminal seal portion of the opening and the opening wall of the packing housing portion are separately provided. The waterproof reliability can be improved as compared with the case where the end faces are separately sealed.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a waterproof connector according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view of a housing of the waterproof connector according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a packing mounted on the housing of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a housing mounted with the packing, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a terminal to be used.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a housing having terminals mounted thereon, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a completed waterproof connector according to the present invention with a lid of the housing closed. A terminal housing 25 and a packing housing 27 are connected to the housing 23 of the waterproof connector 21. Terminal housing 25 and packing housing 27
Is opened by an opening 29 formed on one surface of the housing 23 (the upper surface shown in FIG. 1 in this example).

[0008] A plurality (three in this example) of terminal housings 25 are provided separated by a partition 31. Each of the terminal accommodating portions 25 has a terminal 33 described later (see FIG. 4).
, And an elastic locking projection 35 for mounting the terminal 33 to the terminal accommodating portion 25 is provided. On the other hand, the packing housing portion 27 is formed as one housing space without the partition wall 31.

The housing 23 is provided with a lid 37 for closing the opening 29. The lid 37 is connected to the housing 23 through a thin hinge portion 39 on one side,
It is openable and closable about the hinge 39. On the other side of the lid 37, a side plate 37a bent perpendicularly to the lid body is formed, and the side plate 37a is arranged in parallel with the side surface of the housing 23 with the lid 37 closed in the opening 29. You. A locking hole 41 is formed in the side plate portion 37a.
The locking hole 41 locks with a locking projection 43 protruding from a side surface of the housing 23.

[0010] In the opening wall portion 45 on the side of the packing accommodating portion, an electric wire lead-out groove 47 is formed corresponding to the terminal accommodating portion 25. On the inner surface of the wire lead-out groove 47, a pair of wire holding projections 51 facing each other with a slit 49 interposed therebetween are projected. The groove width of the wire lead-out groove 47 is substantially equal to the diameter of the wire 53. Also, the height from the groove bottom of the wire lead-out groove 47 to the wire holding protrusion 51 is substantially equal to the diameter of the wire 53. The wall of the wire lead-out groove 47 has flexibility, and the width of the slit 49 is increased by elastic deformation. Therefore, when the electric wire 53 is pushed in from the upper opening of the slit 49, the slit 49 is expanded and the electric wire 53 is guided into the electric wire outlet groove 47, and the electric wire 53 inserted into the electric wire outlet groove 47 is connected to the electric wire outlet groove 47. The movement is restricted by being held between the right and left and up and down by the pressing projection 51.

The slit 49 and the wire holding projection 51 are also provided at the boundary between the terminal housing 25 and the packing housing 27. The slit 49 of this part and the wire holding protrusion 51
Are formed inside the left and right partitions 31 that partition the terminal accommodating portion 25. Since the wire pressing protrusion 51 holds the wire 53 and regulates the movement of the wire 53, as shown in this example, the wire pressing protrusion 51 is located between the opening wall 45 and the boundary between the terminal housing 25 and the packing housing 27. It is preferable to provide a sufficient electric wire regulating action, but even if only the opening wall 45 is provided, the electric wire regulating action is exhibited.

A packing 55 made of an elastomer, for example, shown in FIG. The packing 55 is integrally connected to an electric wire sealing portion 57 mounted on the packing accommodating portion 27 and the electric wire sealing portion 57.
It comprises a frame-shaped seal portion 59 for sealing between the opening wall end surface 29 a of the opening portion 29 and the lid 37. Wire seal 57
Is attached to the packing accommodating portion 27 so that the lid 37 is in close contact with the inner wall of the packing accommodating portion 27 and is closed.
It is designed to come in close contact with the inner surface of the vehicle.

In the electric wire seal portion 57, an electric wire close-contact groove 61 is formed which is connected to the slit 49 when the packing 55 is mounted on the packing accommodating portion 27 (the state shown in FIG. 3). The electric wire close contact groove 61 includes an insertion groove 61a cut linearly and an electric wire insertion portion 61b formed at the bottom of the insertion groove 61a. The inner diameter of the electric wire insertion portion 61b is smaller than the outer diameter of the electric wire 53, and the electric wire 53 is inserted into the electric wire insertion portion 61b so that the outer periphery is in close contact with the inner periphery of the electric wire insertion portion 61b. The housing 2 described above
3 is that the opening wall end surface 29a of the opening 29 is
9 is formed to be slightly lower than the side surface of the housing facing the housing 9 so as to regulate the position of the packing 55 housed and arranged on the opening wall end surface 29a at a predetermined position.

As shown in FIG. 4, a box-shaped electric contact portion 33a is formed at the tip of the terminal 33, and an electric wire crimping portion 33b is formed at the rear end. A locking hole 33c is formed in the electric contact portion 33a, and the locking hole 33c is
Is engaged with the elastic locking projection 35. The terminal 33 extends from the opening 29 on the upper surface of the housing to the terminal accommodating portion 25
It can be inserted into. The terminal 33 is accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 25 up to the wire crimping portion 33b at the rear end.
Therefore, the electric wire 53 connected to the electric wire crimping portion 33b passes through the packing accommodating portion 27 and is led out of the housing 23 through the wire leading groove 47.

Next, the operation of the waterproof connector 21 having the above components will be described. When the packing 55 is attached to the packing accommodating portion 27 of the housing 23, the packing 5
5, the wire seal portion 57 is in close contact with the inner wall of the packing accommodating portion 27, and the wire tight groove 61 is located in a state of being continuous with the slit 49 (see FIG. 3). In this state, terminal 3
3 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 25 through the opening 29, the engaging hole 33c of the electric contact portion 33a is engaged with the elastic engaging protrusion 35, and the terminal 33 is mounted on the terminal accommodating portion 25 (see FIG. 5). .

Next, the electric wire 53 is connected to the electric wire pressing protrusion 51.
Between the slit 49 and the insertion groove 61 a of the packing 55. The wire 53 inserted into the wire lead-out groove 47 by pushing and opening the slit 49 is pinched by the wire lead-out groove 47 and the wire holding protrusion 51 in the left, right, up, and down directions, thereby restricting the movement. At the same time, the electric wire 53 is inserted into the electric wire insertion portion 61b (see FIG. 2) formed at the bottom of the insertion groove 61a, so that the inner periphery of the electric wire insertion portion 61b is in close contact with the outer periphery, and is connected to the packing 55. Will be sealed.

In this state, the lid 37 is closed as shown in FIG.
3, the lid 37 is closed to the housing 23, so that the wire seal portion 57 of the packing 55 is in close contact with the inner surface of the lid 37, and the frame-shaped seal portion 59 of the packing 55 is formed by the opening wall of the opening 29. Seal between the end face 29a and the lid 37, and between the lid 37 and the housing 23,
There is no gap between the housing and the housing 23, so that intrusion of water or the like from these portions into the terminal accommodating portion 25 is prevented.

According to the waterproof connector 21 described above, the terminal accommodating portion 25 and the packing accommodating portion 27 are provided in the housing 23 so as to be opened, the lid 37 for closing the opening 29 is provided, and the electric wire 53 is inserted in a tight state. The packing 55 is attached to the packing accommodating portion 27, and the wire pressing projections 51 for restricting the movement of the electric wire 53 inserted through the packing 55 are provided before and after the packing 55, so that the direction in which the electric wire 53 is led out is restricted simultaneously with the assembling. It is not necessary to assemble the wires 53 facing in an unspecified direction while closely aligning the wires 53 as in the related art, thereby improving the assembling workability.
In addition, since the electric wire 53 is arranged at a predetermined position by the electric wire pressing projection 51, the seal structure can be reliably assembled without any misalignment or poor close contact due to the displacement of the electric wire 53. Furthermore, since the electric wire 53 is clamped by the electric wire pressing protrusion 51, even when the electric wire 53 is pulled after assembly, the tension is carried by the electric wire pressing protrusion 51, and a force is applied to the close contact portion between the packing 55 and the electric wire 53. And a stable close state can always be maintained.

Further, the opening wall end face 29a of the opening 29 is formed lower than the side of the housing facing the opening 29,
Since the position of the packing 55 disposed on the end surface 29a of the opening wall is regulated at a predetermined position, the mounting workability of the packing is improved, and the mounted packing can be prevented from falling off.

Further, the packing 55 is integrally connected to the wire seal portion 57 mounted on the packing accommodating portion 27 and the wire seal portion 57, and the packing 55 is closed with the opening wall end surface 29 a of the opening 29. Since the configuration is provided with the frame-shaped seal portion 59 for sealing between the cover 37 and the lid 37, the handleability and the mounting workability are excellent, and the end face 29a of the opening wall portion 29 of the opening portion 29 is separated from the terminal housing. The waterproof reliability can be improved as compared with the case where the seal is separately provided corresponding to the part 25 and the packing accommodation part 27.

[0021]

As described above in detail, according to the waterproof connector according to the present invention, since the wire holding projection is provided on the opening wall of the packing accommodating portion for mounting the packing, the lead-out direction of the wire is restricted. Yes, there is no need to align the wires for tightness. Further, since the electric wire is clamped by the electric wire pressing protrusion, no gap is formed in the close contact portion even by the pulling force on the electric wire after assembly. As a result, assembling workability and waterproof reliability can be improved. Further, since the end face of the opening wall of the opening is formed in the housing in such a form as to regulate the position of the packing at a predetermined position, the packing can be mounted well and the mounted packing can be prevented from falling off. In addition, since the packing has the wire seal part and the frame-shaped seal part integrally connected, it is easy to handle compared to the case where it is separated, and the adhesion between the closed lid and the seal is improved. It can be further raised to improve waterproof reliability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a housing of a waterproof connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a packing mounted on the housing of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a housing on which packing is mounted.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a terminal mounted on a housing.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a housing on which terminals are mounted.

FIG. 6 is an assembled perspective view of the waterproof connector according to the present invention with the lid of the housing closed.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional waterproof connector.

8 is an explanatory diagram showing a waterproof function of the waterproof member of the waterproof connector of FIG. 7 in comparison with a waterproof member having an upper and lower half structure.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a conventional waterproof connector from which a wire is led out in an unspecified direction.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Waterproof type connector 23 Housing 25 Terminal accommodating part 27 Packing accommodating part 29 Opening 37 Lid 45 Opening wall part 49 Slit 51 Electric wire holding projection 55 Packing 61 Electric wire tight groove

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A terminal accommodating portion and a packing accommodating portion provided continuously in a housing are opened on one surface of the housing, a lid for closing the opening is provided in the housing, and a slit is formed in an opening wall on the packing accommodating portion side. A packing is provided which has an electric wire pressing protrusion opposed to it, has an electric wire close-contact groove, and is in close contact with the inner wall of the packing accommodating portion and in close contact with the closed inner surface of the lid to seal between the housing and the lid. A waterproof connector mounted on the packing accommodating portion. 2. An end face of an opening wall of the opening is formed lower than a side surface of a housing facing the opening, and a position of the packing disposed on the end face of the opening wall is regulated at a predetermined position. The waterproof connector according to claim 1. 3. The packing according to claim 1, wherein the packing is integrally connected to the wire sealing portion and the wire sealing portion, and seals a gap between an end face of an opening wall of the opening and the closed lid. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, further comprising a frame-shaped seal portion.